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Hazen's Notch, Vermont
A Wild and Scenic Natural Area in the Northern Green Mountains
_________ A Conservation Legacy _________

Vermont's
Most Northern Notch

Hazen's Notch has long been known for the rugged beauty of its steep
cliffs: its distinctive "V" cleft as seen from far away, and its
remote northern location in Vermont's Green Mountains. Natural and human
history have made the Notch famous - first glaciers carved this dramatic
piece of Vermont's landscape, then Revolutionary War Colonel Bayley and
General Hazen cut a road from the Connecticut River as far as this natural
landmark. Located in the northern Green Mountains in the Vermont towns of
Montgomery, Westfield, and Lowell, the Hazen's Notch area covers several
thousand acres and is largely forested today.

Glaciology of Hazen's Notch

The Hazen's Notch area of
northern Vermont reveals a long history of geological, glacial and human
activity.

The Green Mountains are part
of the larger chain of mountains, the Appalachians, that thrust upward
during the late Paleozoic Era some 250 million years ago as a result of
the continental plates colliding and extend from Newfoundland to Georgia. In the Quaternary Period of the Cenozoic
Period, the last of four recent periods of glaciation covered the northern
North American continent to its greatest extent about 18,000 years ago.

With the gradual retreat of glaciers, places like Hazen's Notch were
carved by the heavy forces of ice scour and subsequently thousands of
years of erosion from snow, rain and weathering. The geology of the
Hazen's Notch area in Westfield and Montgomery (the west side of the
Notch) is primarily Hazen's Notch Formation of schist with intrusions of
Belvidere Mountain Amphibolite and two areas of ultramafic rocks all of which grades into Jay Peak Formation in the
lower elevations.

Native Peoples

Native Americans of the Abenaki
tribe lived in Vermont following the retreat of glaciation near the lower
rivers and Lake Champlain and Lake Memphremagog and the Connecticut River
valley.

They did not live in the Green Mountains, but hunting parties of
men and boys came to these woods to catch big game for winter food and
clothing. "Archaeological and cultural historical evidence show that
there was a year-round settlement of Abnaki from 1700 - 1758 in what is now Swanton at
the mouth of the Missisquoi River."

European Settlement

As European settlers arrived in
the 18th century, they cleared land for their farms in the valleys and
harvested timber from the northern hardwood and coniferous forest in the
mountains. The earliest use of the road through the Notch (Rt. 58) was to
transport troops and arms during the Revolutionary War days and a stone
marking the Terminus of the Bailey/Hazen Military Road at the height of
Hazen's Notch bears the date 1779.

Today, the Hazen's Notch area
offers many opportunities for recreation: the Long Trail
follows the ridge of the area mountains, skirts around the precipitous
cliffs of Sugarloaf Mountain, which presently is home to Ravens and
historically is known as a site for nesting Peregrine Falcons. The Catamount Trail also traverses
the Notch along the higher unplowed portion of Rt. 58 and then enters the
woods. Rare ferns and wildflowers cling to the rocky faces of Sugarloaf
Mountain and Haystack Mountain to the south, the home of marcescent
sandwort known in the New World from Vermont, New Hampshire, Quebec and
Newfoundland. The
State of Vermont has recognized the importance of this region and has designated 307 acres as
the Hazen's Notch State Park.

Green Mountain
Club

Since 1927 the Long Trail has passed through Hazen's Notch, following
the ridge of the Green Mountains on its way north to the Canadian border. Built
and maintained by the Green Mountain Club (GMC) of Waterbury Center, Vermont -
the Long Trail (LT), takes a rugged route over Haystack Mountain and descends
quickly to Route 58 in the Notch. Here there are excellent views of the
precipitous cliffs of Sugarloaf Mountain, which presently are home to Ravens.

Beginning in 1986, the GMC has been working through its Long Trail Protection Campaign
to acquire a permanently protected corridor for the LT. This nationally
significant recreational resource is being put in trust for the public by the
Green Mountain Club, ensuring that hikers will always have access to Vermont's
wild and scenic Green Mountains. Most of the Long Trail from Belvidere Mountain
north to the Canadian border has been permanently protected through purchase of
private lands, placement of a conservation easement and transfer to the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation.

The Green Mountain Club's trail protection work along this section of the Long
Trail represents the first significant natural resource conservation activity in
the Hazen's Notch Area since the State of Vermont's original acquisition of the
Sugarloaf Cliffs in the mid 1900's.

The GMC maintains a shelter north of the Notch for backpackers hiking the LT
between Tillotson Peak and Jay Peak. The LT is designed and maintained for
summer use as a hiking trail only. Bicycles and motorized vehicles are strictly
forbidden. Winter Long Trail users should use extra caution. The LT is a narrow,
steep and rugged footpath, not suitable for skiing. While snowshoeing is
possible, the LT's characteristic white paint blazes are not easily seen amidst
the snowy scenery.

The Catamount Trail
(CT) passes through Hazen's Notch on its way from Lowell to Montgomery. This
long-distance cross country ski trail is maintained by the Catamount Trail
Association (CTA) of Burlington, Vermont. In places the CT coincides with a
snowmobile trail maintained by the Vermont Association of Snow Traveler's
(VAST). Here skiers should exercise caution. Snowmobile traffic is at its
highest on weekends. Although Catamounts (or Mountain Lions) have been
extirpated from Vermont for 100 years, a visitor to Hazen's Notch is likely to
see sign of bear activity. Tracks, scat, and claw marks of Black Bears are
evident throughout the area.

In December of 1997, The Nature Conservancy and the Vermont Land Trust
completed the acquisition of over 26,000 acres of forest land in 16 Vermont
towns from Wagner Woodlands. This acquisition, called the
Atlas Timberlands Project, added many conserved acres to the
Hazen's Notch area in Montgomery, Westfield and Lowell. ATP lands adjoin the Long Trail State Forest
to the east near Haystack, Tillotson and Belvidere Mountains and the Hazen's Notch Conservation Lands
to the west of Burnt Mountain.

The Hazen's Notch Association (HNA) is a non-profit, member supported,
conservation organization located on the Hazen's Notch Road in Montgomery,
Vermont. The HNA was founded in 1994 to promote and engage in conservation of
agricultural and forest lands, environmental education, outdoor recreation,
scientific research, and stewardship of natural resources.

The Hazen's Notch Association maintains a network of 40 miles of trails and
woods roads on 2,000 acres of private conservation land in the town of
Montgomery. These trails are used for cross country skiing and snowshoeing in
Winter and hiking in Summer and Fall.

The Association acts as a local land trust for the Town of Montgomery.

The HNA serves as a center for environmental education. The Association conducts
natural science field programs for school children from over 30 towns in
northern Vermont. In addition the HNA operates a Summer Ecology Camp for
children and offers education and recreation programs for adults and families
throughout the year.

Wade Brook drains Hazen's Notch to the west and, along with Jay Brook,
forms the headwaters of the Trout River, a tributary of the Missisquoi River. In
1998 the Hazen's Notch Association received a grant from the Vermont Agency of
Natural Resources to study the 5000-acre Wade Brook watershed. The HNA is now
undertaking the Wade Brook Watershed Project to protect this important
water resource and its related habitats. The Wade Brook Watershed supports a
great diversity of plant and animal species and provides clean water for
thousands of Vermonters who live downstream of Hazen's Notch.

The Hazen's Notch Conservation Lands is a privately owned conservation
area that lies to the west of the summit of Burnt Mountain. This 500-acre
natural area consists of 2 preserves: the 100-acre Bear Paw Pond Area
and the 400-acre High Ponds Farm.

The Bear Paw Pond Area lies to
the south of Route 58, 1 mile east of Montgomery Center. This area is mostly
wooded and has several trails and restored woods roads that allow pedestrian
access. It is also the site of the Hazen's Notch Association's Summer Camp
for children ages 6-15. A Botany Trail leaves the parking area that is
located just off Route 58, the Hazen's Notch Road.

The High Ponds Farm (pictured above) is nestled at the base of Burnt Mountain on the
Rossier Road, 2 miles east of Montgomery Center. A parking area and Visitor
Center are located at the end of the road, 0.5 miles south of Route 58, the
Hazen's Notch Road. This former hill farm, last farmed by the Dodge Family from
1900 - 1945, serves as a Stewardship Demonstration Site.

Some special natural features of these preserves include numerous beaver
ponds, large rock outcrops, and a 125-tree apple orchard. Several streams flow
through a mixed hardwood/softwood forest, old pasture, and meadow glade. This
wonderful range of habitats support a great diversity of plant and animal
species. Several miles of woods roads and trails provide excellent routes for
exploring the natural features on these conservation areas.

Foster, Michael and William
Cowan, eds. Gordon Day's Essays: In Search of New England's Native Past.
1998. University of Massachusetts Press.

Russell, Howard. Indian New
England Before the Mayflower. 1983. University Press of New England.
"The single most important and comprehensive source on the Native
Americans of New England prior to and during the contact period"